Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-10-20
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN AS EXECUTIVES.
What History Shows as to Women Hav-
ing Administrative Ability.

What History Shows as to Women Hav-
ing Administrative Ability.
l have been much impressed, in read
ing historical studies of nations with
whish we are little acquainted, at the
frequency with which ] came across
instances of high administrative abil-
ity on the part of women, shown un-
der circumstances where we have little
reason to look for it. recently stum-
bled upon an instance in the history of
China at the present time.
Some fourteen years ago, the En-
peror Tung Chi died without issue, and
a council of Princes chose the present
Emperor, Kwang Hsu, a child three
years of age, as his successor. The
management of the empire during his
minority passed into the hands of two
Empresses dowager-thc mother and
aunt, respectively, of the deceased
monarch. The two sisters, as CO.
regents, carried on the Government
with unusual vigor and success till
1881, when one of them, the empress
of the Eastern Palace" died, leaving
the whole power in the hands of her
sister, Tzu Hsi, Empress of the West
ern Palace" Now the instances
would be rare in which the absolute
power over a vast empire could be
shared equally between two men, with
out harm to the efficiency of the Gov
crnment. History shows that double
rulcrships, as well as triumvirantes, are
apt to prove disastrous in their conse-
quences, and it is evidence of much un-
selfshness as well as ability upon the
part of these ladies, that their joint
rule should be successful.
But the survivors, reign has been
even more distinguished, and | read in
General Wilson's recent work on
China that ''it is asserted by the best
informed foreigners in Pekin that she
| has proved herself to be the ablest
ruler of China since the days of KEN
lung, whose reign was contempora-
neous with the life of George Washing
ton. She is tifty-three years of age,
and is said to give the closest personal
attention to public business. She has
never been seen by a foreign official,
and, so far as is known, takes no no.
ticc or account of their doings. Yet
she is supposed to be aliberal, or to in
cline toward liberalism and progress
in her ideas. She has seen the entire
country restored to peace and compar-
ative prosperity under her rule, and her
dominion, at the surrender of it to her
ward, on the 9th of February, 1887,
was undisputed to the very outermost
limits of the empire.
And yet the women of China are
cut off from educational advantages
equal to those of men, they are kept in
Oriental seclusion from early youth,
and less ought to be expected of them
than of men. Yet the experince OF
China seems to be the same as that of
other countries. In few cases where
| Noiilcll huNc uCcH lHNcetCu Will "u-
ministrative functions, they have, as a
rule, been eminently successful.
l have read of late in several
articles written by anti-suffragists,
arguments drawn from the supposed
incapacity of the female mind for the
higher kinds of intellectual activity.
1t is repeated ad nauseam, that women
have never originated any great
intellectual movement, have never
written any epic or dramatic master
pieces, etc. Now, if this were true
it might furnish an argument (thougl
a very poor one) for passing law
forbidding all women from writing
epic or dramatic poetry and originat
ing great intellectual movements; bu
it would not seem to be a good argu
ment for excluding her from admins
trative duties, which are fields of use
fulness, for which she has shown
special aptitude wherever she ha
been tried; yet, these are the onl!
domains from which she is excluded
to-day by the inconsistency of legis
lation framed wholly by the other sex
William d. Foulke, in Woman's Josr
nal.